What is the difference between Holland and the Netherlands?
The official name of the country is Kingdom of the Netherlands. Holland actually just means the two provinces of Noord-Holland (North Holland) and Zuid-Holland (South Holland), located in the west of the country. However, the name Holland is often used when referring to all of the Netherlands.
Between 1588 and 1795, the area that currently represents the Netherlands was the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. The republic was conquered by French troops in 1795 and became the Batavian Republic.
Napoleon made his brother Louis king in 1806, turning the country into a kingdom. The Netherlands continued with this form of government after the defeat of Napoleon.
At that time, the area called “Holland” made the largest contribution to the economy and wealth of the entire nation. As such, it became the name in common use to indicate the entire country.
The provinces of the Netherlands have several of the most important cities in the country. Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, is located in Noord-Holland. The Hague (Den Haag in Dutch), where the seat of the Dutch government and the International Criminal Court are located, as well as Rotterdam, the country’s largest port, are in the province of Zuid-Holland.
In the Top 5 of the happiest countries in the world
The Netherlands is the fifth happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report published in March of this year. This study is based on a Gallup poll.
The researchers found that 97.6% of the respondents in the Netherlands felt at peace with their lives, while 86.9% felt that the various aspects of their lives were in balance.
The report analyzed how the covid-19 pandemic affected emotions in each country and found that citizens and residents of the Netherlands experienced a noticeable increase in feelings of anxiety and sadness in the five weeks after the virus outbreak.